Our Union

September 18, 2015

Ron Ruggiero, President – Local 105

Dear SEIU 105 Members,

It is with great excitement that I write to inform you that SEIU Local 105 now represents over 7,000 members for the first time in our history! This major achievement would not have been possible without the dedicated work of our members, leaders, and staff. When I arrived at SEIU Local 105 in August of 2013, we were a 5,500 member union, so this growth represents over 25% growth in the last two years. I’m not aware of another union in Colorado that has experienced this kind of growth in the last few years. I hope it fills you with a great source of pride in our organization.

Our growth has come from organizing victories: security officers with HSS at Denver International Airport, Kaiser residual organizing and other growth, and janitorial organizing. It comes from major successes in bringing in contracted out work to be done by union members at Kaiser. It also comes from a recommendation that Secretary-Treasurer Shelly Fowlkes and I made to our Executive Board, which they showed courage and vision in adopting to reorganize our financial and administrative operations earlier this year. The final part of this growth has come from a much improved effort on internal organizing and signing up new members in Property Services and at the Mental Health Center of Denver.

I am also very proud to tell you that, for the first-time ever, we now have over 1,000 members making monthly contributions to our political fund—COPEand Si Se Puede! This is more than double the contributors we had just two years ago. I want to recognize the commitment of every member who has signed up, the stellar work of the Kaiser New Employee Orientation team, and every member leader and organizer who has signed members up. We live in a time where the 1% has far too much influence over our political process and our Political Program–both contributions and volunteer political work–is a powerful vehicle for working people to fight for an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.

I hope you will all take a moment to own and celebrate these historic achievements for our union. There is no question that working people need more power to balance that of the 1% and SEIU 105 is a leader in Colorado making that happen. I am dedicated to continue our work in organizing new workers into our union, leading the “Fight for $15 and a Union” in Colorado, and building a stronger union as the surest path to protecting and improving the wages, benefits, and conditions of our members–and all working people. None of this would be possible without you.